Ariel Hyatt’s “Blog Challenge”

It was just about this time two years ago my father and I were working on a project as co-writers; co-producers and partners in his own album project. I was writing most of the backing tracks, especially the rhythm parts and string arrangements, while he was writing, developing and improvising the lead melodies. He and I had been talking about several strategies on how to release and promote the music once we finished the project. And I thought it might prove useful to get a fresh perspective from someone in the business, but not related to our project.

On February 9, 2009 Ariel Hyatt’s company, CyberPR (@cyberpr) started following my Twitter (@hakimcallier). I received a direct message from Ariel not long after that asking if she could sign me up for CyberPR, I accepted. Five months later Ariel direct messaged me and asked if she could add me to an email list for CyberPR. Knowing very little of her I accepted. Then around the same time that I was promoting an audio mastering competition with the members of the Futureproducers.com forum, I asked Derek Sivers (@sivers), founder and former CEO of CD Baby, Andrew Dubber (@dubber) of New Music Strategies and Bruce Warila (@brucewarila), for some advice on record promotion and also Internet promotions for online music events such as the competition I was hosting. They all mentioned Ariel at some point or another and in a very positive light. Andrew also noted that she was in the same town, New York City.

On July 28, 2009 I wrote Ariel an email, at Dubber’s recommendation, detailing the project with my father and our concerns in this quickly changing world of recorded music sales and distribution. She responded promptly, though vacationing in Colorado! We set a date and time for a conference call and I became the middle man. I was now the go-between an artist and a public relations firm. Not exactly where I wanted to be, but it’s my father and I’d already heard some pretty outstanding things about CyberPR and Ariel in general.

Our meeting was set and on an unusually cool August morning we discussed the new direction of music, promotions and record sales over a three-way conference call. I merely listened while this seasoned professional musician – my father – who has worked with everyone from Andre Crouch to El DeBarge had an open, frank and unapologetic conversation about new media, the music business and the need to think differently. A conversation my father, an old-school musician who has seen more studio time than I’ve seen days, called enlightening.

Why am I relaying this story? What is the point of it all? Well since that time I’ve known that Ariel was or will soon be one of the premier music publicists and social media strategists around. And recently I found out that she’d written a book called, Music Success In Nine Weeks. I got the book and started participating in WAVE 3 of her “Blog Challenge”. I’ll be posting content related to Ariel’s “Blog Challenge” in addition to my regular content. Below you will find a partial editorial calendar, these posts are a follow-up to the book Music Success In Nine Weeks, Ariel Hyatt’s “Blog Challenge” and the Cybermastermind Forum activity:

stephen, things are going well. I just started but there are a good number of people involved in WAVE 3 as they are calling it. Yeah I got my pitch together, I actually had something usable prior to this “Blog Challenge” but Carla (@carlalynnehall)was instrumental in helping me work out the kinks.

Thanks for touching base. I’ll become a member sure, would you subscribe to my blog? 🙂